It is well known to utilize fingers below a grid set of a case loading machine so as to guide articles such as bottles into respective compartments of a case. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,788,034 and 3,911,647, rigid downwardly extending fingers are carried in the corner of passages provided below a trip-bar assembly. As the articles are dropped through these passages, they engage the fingers which guide the travel of the articles into the case. In one particular machine, the case that is to be loaded is carried on an elevator and raised directly beneath the grid set to a loading position. Even though the case is in a raised position, as the bottles drop through the grid set and fingers, they strike the case with a substantial force often breaking the bottles. Furthermore, the dropping of the bottles from the grid set to the case creates a substantial amount of noise.